April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Transportation Department
fined United Parcel Service Inc. $4 million for allegedly
maintaining four cargo planes improperly and then flying them,
the agency said in a statement.

UPS’s practices didn’t follow Federal Aviation
Administration rules, according to a statement issued today. Two
DC-8 aircraft and two MD-11 aircraft were flown improperly on
more than 400 flights between October 2008 and June 2009, the
FAA said.

“The aviation industry knows that we take safety very
seriously,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the
statement. “Air carriers must comply with federal regulations
to ensure aircraft are maintained to the highest level of
safety.”

The Louisville, Kentucky-based company failed to comply
with a consent agreement in which it agreed to inspect all of
its aircraft and compare actual repairs with maintenance
records, the FAA said.

UPS believes it was complying with FAA rules and it “will
vigorously defend” its position, company spokesman Mike Mangeot
said in an e-mail. The FAA’s proposed penalty relates to
documentation of nine repairs, and it is “unwarranted and
unreasonable,” he said.

“UPS has a long history of operating a safe, compliant
airline,” Mangeot said. “There was never a safety issue.”

UPS has 30 days to respond, the agency said.

“No aircraft should leave the ground until the operator
has made all necessary repairs, and made them according to the
correct procedures,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.